Suction cleaner



March 27, 1934.

H. B. WHITE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. so, 1932 I Harry B. Wizzie ATTO RN EIY Patented Mar. 27,1934

TES

PATENT OFFICE 1,952,900 SUCTION CLEANER Harry B. White, Canton, Ohio,assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, hio, a corporation of OhioApplication November 30, 1932, Serial No. 644,937

r 6 Claims.

- 10 from the body of the cleaner.

' One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a bag which isdurable, which can be economically manufactured and which can be readilyemptied. Further objects are to provide a bag with means for holding thetop opening therein distended, .and to provide distending means suchthat they will be neat in appearance and present no unsightly orundesirably projecting parts. A still further object is to provide suchdistending means which will facilitate holding the open mouth tightlyagainst a fiat surface to prevent escape of dust while the bag is beingemptied. Further objects of invention, as well as the novel features ofconstruction and operation, will be understood upon a reading of thefollowing specification describing an embodiment of the invention whichis shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a suction 3 cleaner having a bagthereon equipped with mouth distending means in accordance with, andconstituting an embodiment of, the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, of the top portionof the bag and other parts shown in Fig. 1, the bag being in deflated.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, similar to Fig. 3,

but showing the bag opening fully distended;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in longitudinal section,taken-on'the'line 5- 5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in crosssection, taken on the line 6--6 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. '7 is a sectional view, taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 3.

The suction cleaner, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a main body portionindicated generally at 11, having an upwardly and rearwardly extendinghandle 12 pivotally connected thereto at 13, the body comprising a fan,not shown, and an electric motor 14 mounted on the body to operate thefan and thereby draw air, and dust through a downwardly-opening nozzleand discharge it through an outlet 15 into a bag 16, which has a ring1'7 at its lower open end detachably secured to the outlet 15 byvthumb-nuts 18, or similar means. The cleaner as a whole is mounted onwheels 19, and the electric motor 14 is supplied with current by aconducting cable 20, which is preferably connected to the upper end ofthe handle, a switch 21 and suitable wiring being provided forcontrolling the motor. A hook 22, or similar means, is carried by theupper end of the handle 12 for yieldably and detachably supporting theupper end of the bag 16. All of these parts are of well knownconstruction, as shown, except for the formation of the upper end of thebag and the means for holding the opening therein dis- 7 tended. It willbe understood that in use the cleaner as a whole is moved about over thesurface covering, the handle being swung as desired from a horizontalposition toward and from vertical position. When not in use, the cleaneris usually stored with the handle in substantially vertical position,the bag being then deflated, as shown in Fig. 2.

From time to time the accumulation of dust and dirt within the bagrenders it advisable to remove the bag and empty it, and frequentlyhairs, threads, lint and similar material is found to have been mattedinto a comparatively large mass too large to remove through the lowermouth of the bag except by grasping it and pulling it out, which 35 is adisagreeable'operation and usually results in scattering a large amountof dust. For this reason bags have been provided, heretofore, with alarger opening or mouth, usually at the top of the bag to facilitateemptying, such opening being folded and held closed by being slidlaterally into a channel-shaped spring-clamp 23 which, in turn, isconnected to the handle and supports the upper end of the bag.

To empty such a bag, it is usually removed from the cleaner andinverted, the large mouth of the upper end being placed upon a sheet ofpaper or similar material, on the floor. The inlet mouth is closed,usually by partially folding the lower end of the bag, and the-bag isshaken to it is essential that the large open mouth of the bag be heldtightly against the paper, to prevent the escape of dust.

, In accordance with the present invention, the bag 16 is formed with alarge mouth 24, at its upper end, which is substantially square, twooppo- 1 site sides being straight, and the intermediate sides beingfolded inwardly at their center points so that the folded points meetwhen the mouth is collapsed by bringing the opposite straight sidestoward each other against the infolded portions of the intermediatesides. The clip 23, of channel shape, is preferably formed of resilientsheet metal, and is provided to slide laterally upon the folded mouthand hold it closed, preferably having a bail pivoted thereto tofacilitate its at.- tachment to the hook 22.

To hold the mouth 24 distended, and tight against a flat surface'duringemptying, a square loop 26, preferably of wire, is pivoted to one of thestraight sides of, and surrounds," the bag mouth, its opposite sidebeing slidably received between the outside of the bag and a band 27 offlexible material which is secured at one end to such opposite side ofthe bag mouth and at itsother end to the outside of the bag, so' that 1it lies fiat against the outside of the bag at all times. Theintermediate sides of the loop 26 are formed with outwardly bentprojections 28 which lie in the plane of. the loop as a whole, so thatthe operator can stand upon them and thereby hold the entire loop tightagainst the paper upon which the bag is being emptied. As the bag isfully extended, lengthwise, during the emptying operation, and the band2'7 is held taut, it will be apparent thatthe free side of the wire loop26, opposite to the side which is pivoted, will be held close to thecorresponding side of the bag mouth and hold the mouth distended.

Although the wire loop 26 may be pivoted to g the mouth merely bylocating it in a hem in the .bag material, it is preferably that, asshown, a

channel member 29 of metal, or other rigid material, bebent over uponand enclose the hem' and the wire, as shown in Fig. 6, annulardepressions 30 being formed in the wire adjacent its ends into whichteeth 31 in the member 29 are pressed, whereby the ends of the loop areheld from separating and the pivoted side thereof is reinforced.

The edge of the bag mouth to which the band 27 is attached, and which isopposite to that to which the loop 26 is pivoted, may be reinforced, ifdesired, by a bar 32 sewed into the hem as shown in Fig. '7, or bothsuch edge of the mouth and the folded sides of the mouth may bethickened by a. cloth tape sewed in'the hem in the same manner. When thebag mouth has been closed, by folding in the two opposite sides thereof,the side to which the wire loop 26 is pivoted and the side oppositethereto come together, and the folded mouth is then telescoped into thechannel member 23, it being apparent that the thickness of the hemmedmouth will assist in preventing accidental separation of the bag mouthand the clip 23 by reason of longitudinal pull on the bag.

Since the wire loop is at all times held close to the bag, there are noparts protruding to any great extent from the bag and, when the bag isdeflated and held taut by moving the handle to the substantiallyvertical'position which is the usual storage position, the bag will bein the position shown in Fig. 2 and the wire loop 26 will be heldtightly in place. 4

It will be understood that separate narrow bands at the corner of thebag might be used instead of the single wide band illustrated, and thatmany other changes could be made in the details of structure within thescope of the invention, which is defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A dust bag having a discharge opening therein, and means for holdingsaid opening distended comprising a loop of rigid material extendingabout said opening and means on said bag guiding said loop to .and froma position substantially in the plane of said opening, and limitingmovement of said loop in one direction to such position substantially inthe plane of said opening.

2. A dust bag having a. discharge opening therein, said opening havingopposite straight edges and intermediate infolded edges, a rigid looppivotally associated with one of said straight edges of said opening,and guiding means on the outside of said bag adjacent the oppositestraight edge of said opening cooperating with said loop to guide it toa position substantially in the plane of said opening and holding saidloop closely associated with the edge of said opening when in suchposition.

3; A dust bag having a discharge opening therein, and means for holdingsaid opening distended comprising a loop of rigid material surroundingsaid opening and movable to a position substantially in the plane ofsaid opening, and means on said bag guiding said loop to such positionand holding it closely associated with the edge of said opening when insuch position, said loop having rigid portions extending outwardlytherefrom in the plane of the loop.

4. A dust bag having a discharge opening therein, and means for holdingsaid opening distended comprising a loop of rigid material havedge ofsaid opening at one point, and a strip secured at one end to the edge ofsaid opening at an opposite point and having its other end secured tosaid bag, the free end of said loop being positioned between said bagand said strip.

5. A dust bag having a substantally square discharge opening therein,said opening having opposite straight edges and intermediate infoldededges, a loop of rigid material corresponding in size and shape to saiddischarge opening and pivotally secured to one of the straight edges ofsaid opening, and a strip secured at one end to the opposite straightedge of said opening and at its other end to the outside of said bag,the straight side of said loop opposite to its pivoted side beingslidably engaged between said bag and said strip.

6. A dust bag having an opening therein through which it may be emptied,and means for holding said opening distended, comprising a rigid memberhaving'a portion hingedly cooperating with one portion of the edge ofsaid opening and a portion cooperating with a portion of the edge ofsaid openingspaced from the first mentioned portion thereof, and meanson said bag guiding said rigid member to, and limiting such movement ina position substantially in the plane of said opening. HARRY B. WHITE.

